Thanks for Asking
by courtneylc82
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER UP! Nick thinks he owes Jess dinner, at the very least, after everything she did for him in Chicago. So he plans a memorable evening, you know, just to say thanks. Explores the buildup, the big night, and aftermath of Nick and Jess' first date. Partially based on spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you all for the awesome feedback on my first two fics ****_A Little Broken_**** and ****_Just to See_****! I thought I'd do a little wishful writing about the buildup and aftermath surrounding Nick and Jess' first date. Will be a multi-chapter story.**

* * *

Nick was walking in tight circles around his room, willing his confidence to spike. His shoes were starting to rub a path on the floor; little figure eights from the foot of his bed to his desk and back again. He knew pacing was stupid, but he was far too keyed up to sit still. _Don't be a dummy, just go out there and make it happen. _He knew it was the right thing to do, but sometimes, actions were so much easier than words.

_It's just dinner; you owe her after everything she did in Chicago. She dressed up as Elvis for God's sake! Elvis! _Nick laughed at the memory of Jess, clad head to toe in white polyester and rhinestones, fully committing to the performance. After that drunken idiot they'd hired flaked out, she barely even hesitated; she just jumped in. Everyone loved her; she saved the day. Even his Mom had thawed out after _In the Ghetto _turned out to be the absolute highlight of his Dad's service. Even in that ridiculous costume and wig, Nick had locked onto Jess' flushed face, her bright eyes like a lifeline in a storm. She'd grasped his hand at the podium, squeezing strength into him, and he'd clung on for dear life. _God I'm lucky to have her on my side._

Drawing in a breath and squaring his shoulders, Nick let that thought guide him into the living room where he knew Jess was stretched out reading. She was sitting with her legs propped up on the coffee table, completely immersed in her novel. A new cup of tea was steeping on a coaster. He hated the fact that he knew it was green with Echinacea, but that's what Jess drank on weekday evenings. As hard as he'd tried _not_ to learn her habits and routines, they were as natural to him now as his own. She didn't notice him at first, so he watched her absentmindedly play with the fringe on a throw pillow as she turned pages. He smirked as something in the book took her by surprise and she sucked in an audible breath and uttered, "Whoa!"

"Whoa what?" Nick asked.

"Oh hey!" Jess snapped her book shut and pulled her legs off the coffee table so she could tuck her feet underneath her and turn toward Nick. "I didn't hear you come in. Man, this novel is a doozy! The main character, who had been pretty sympathetic up until this point, just revealed she's kind of a sociopath. Books, right?"

Nick laughed. "Jess, I think you're the only 30-something to have ever uttered the phrase, 'books, right?'" He plunked down beside her and she turned a little bit more so their knees were almost touching. She had on one of her super girly sundresses; this one was orange with little white swirls crisscrossing everywhere. "You look like a creamsicle," Nick blurted without thinking. His cheeks immediately burned, "sorry, that was weird."

Jess smiled and raised her eyebrows, "thanks, I guess? Was that a compliment?"

Nick covered his eyes with the heels of his hands for a second, "it was trying to be, but I don't think it delivered, sorry."

"No worries," Jess said with a floaty little giggle. "So what are you up to tonight, are you working?"

"Yeah, I go in soon, but I, uh, I wanted to ask you something," Nick managed to sputter out.

Jess looked a little surprised, but nodded for him to continue as she took a careful sip of her tea.

"So, I know I already said thank you for coming to Chicago and everything. That was really cool of all you guys, but Jess, that Elvis thing? That was something else."

Jess blushed and put her tea back down. "Hey, no problem, I've always wanted to channel The King, so you kind of did me a favor," she shrugged.

"Jess, c'mon, that was a big deal. And I know my family had been hard on you and that didn't make things easier. So, I feel like I need to thank you, uh, formally. Like, maybe dinner or something?" Nick finished lamely.

Jess looked puzzled but pretty pleased. "Dinner? Like, just us?"

Nick decided to man up just a little and adopted a less flimsy tone. "Yes, I'd like to take you to dinner, as a thank you, on Saturday. Are you free?"

"Ok, yeah, let's go to dinner," Jess said smiling; her cheeks tinged a faint pink.

Nick grinned but felt a little shaky. "Yeah, good, 'cause I mean I totally owe you, for Elvis, so just making good on that debt with a little fine cuisine," he rambled.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Got it Nick, you're thanking me, that's why we're going."

"Cool, well I'll make a reservation and everything, so I'll just see you then…. and over the next several days, because we are roommates."

Jess laughed and stood up to head to her room. "Saturday it is then, have fun at work Nick."

"Are you coming down later?"

"Maybe, depends on how much grading I get through."

"All right, well maybe I'll see you in a little while."

Jess closed the door to her room with a faint click. _Ok,_ Nick thought to himself. _Now where the hell do I take her_?

* * *

It was a busy night at the bar but Nick found himself compulsively watching the entrance and jumping like he'd been shocked every time a brown-haired girl sidled up to order a drink. Around 10, Schmidt and Winston came in and even though Nick tried to play off his frantic scanning for Jess, they weren't fooled.

"Just us buddy, at ease," Winston quipped. Nick shrugged like he didn't know what Winston was talking about and Schmidt couldn't resist adding a little fuel to the fire.

"Yes, Jessica was treating herself to a glass of Chardonnay and grading papers when we left," Schmidt said. "Too bad you can't leave early and go upstairs and help her break more of my stuff. I'm sure she'd be amenable after a few glasses; wine goes straight to her head."

"Enough," Nick growled, sliding the guys a beer each. Adopting a more pleasant tone, he decided to take advantage of Jess' absence by trolling for a little advice. "So, uh, actually Schmidt I'm glad you're here. I need to find a semi-nice restaurant for a thing this weekend," Nick said casually. "Any ideas?"

"Wow Nick, sure I have ideas. Ideas I don't really want to lend you as you try and seduce my roommate," Schmidt snapped. "This has disaster written all over it, and I for one, am not going to help it along."

Nick looked down at the bar a little defeated. _Who am I kidding? I don't know how to do this, Schmidt's right; I'm going to ruin everything. _Nick kept his head down for a minute, unnecessarily wiping off the bar so he wouldn't have to face the guys.

"All right, all right, I can't take hurt puppy Nick," Schmidt said throwing up his hands. "Nick, making a dinner reservation isn't neurosurgery. Are you familiar with the internet? Just go to a website like , check what's available and then do a separate search on that restaurant to make sure it has a good Zagat rating. It's simple. Once you find a place you like, make a reservation online and then call ahead and ask for a nice table by the window. The whole process will take you five minutes."

Nick nodded rapidly. "Ok yeah, thanks Schmidty, sounds pretty easy, I can handle this."

"Also, avoid weird lounge-restaurant hybrids where you sit in pitch darkness on velvet couches. Those are always bizarre and it's impossible to talk over house music. Stick to Italian or French food, and look for a place that has twinkle lights in their pictures online. Girls really like twinkle lights," Winston chimed in.

"Ok, twinkle lights, Italian food, Zagat, opentable, got it!"

"Oh my God," Schmidt groaned. "Nick, did you actually just write that down, with a pen, on a bar napkin?" Schmidt shook his head. "What generation are you from? Are you a time traveler?"

"Shut up! I'm going to help that group of drunks over there, thanks for the advice." As Nick slid across the bar to pour some ill-advised tequila shots, the bar napkin tucked safely in his pocket, there was definitely a more pronounced spring in his step.

* * *

Nick opened the door to the loft carefully. It was pretty late, even for him. He had to close up, and one of the waiters had been exceptionally chatty tonight. _Geez, it's almost 3 a.m. I hate this schedule._ Nick grumbled in his own head as he picked his way to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. Once he was minty fresh, he headed for his bedroom, but stopped when he heard a distinct rustle. Walking toward the living room he was startled to see Jess, still wearing her glasses, asleep on the couch. He laughed at the picture before him. Her graded papers were neatly stacked, a half drained bottle of wine rested beside them on the coffee table and she was curled up under a blanket, her glasses twisted at a funny angle. _That can't be comfortable, _Nick thought as he slid the frames off her face, folded them, and placed them next to her schoolwork. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the sofa as he brushed some hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

"Jess, hey Jess?" Nick said quietly putting a hand on her arm. "It's the middle of the night, why don't you get in bed?"

"Hmm?" Jess murmured, eyes still closed.

Nick laughed. "It's really late; don't you want to sleep in your room, the land of 100 pillows and curtains? If you sleep here all night, Schmidt will wake you up really early when he comes out to blend a coconut milk smoothie and do his morning squats."

Jess' eyes fluttered open and she smiled sleepily at Nick. "Yuck, that doesn't sound appealing. But I'm so tired… I can't move!"

"C'mon, it's not that far," Nick wheedled.

"You're right," Jess mumbled. "So it will be no big deal for you to carry me," she said lifting her arms.

Nick was a little taken aback. Jess usually didn't milk the damsel in distress thing, but it was 3 a.m. and she'd had a least three glasses of wine. Besides, he wasn't going to put up a fight if Jess wanted to flirt with him.

"You're right; it would be very coldhearted of me to make you walk those, 20 or so steps. Up you go." In one motion, Nick slid an arm under Jess' bent knees and another across her back. She grinned at him and twined her arms around his neck as he straightened up and started toward her room.

"This is the life," she breathed in his ear as she snuggled her face into the crook of his neck. Little chills shot through Nick at her words and he slowed his pace just a shade so he could enjoy the moment a second or two longer. He crossed the threshold of her room and placed her gently on her bed, trying to ignore the implications of their posture.

"Ok, couch to room service is now complete," he said stupidly. She still had her arms around his neck and it was getting harder and harder for him to imagine pulling free.

"Nick?" Jess asked quietly as she traced her thumbs lazily across the back of his neck.

"Hmm?" Nick responded, half drunk on the sensations of her absentminded gesture.

"I'm really excited about dinner on Saturday, thanks for asking me," she said shyly.

He didn't mean to take advantage of her in this tipsy, sleepy state, but when she looked up at him through her lashes and offered up that sweet little smile, he just couldn't help it. He leaned down and placed one soft kiss on her cheek, right beside her ear.

"Oh Jess," he murmured, "you have no idea."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for the reviews! I don't own New Girl or anything associated with it!**_

* * *

By the time Saturday dawned, Nick didn't know how to act around Jess anymore. The loft was so charged with tension that all his normal conversational skills had burnt to a crisp. That morning at breakfast, Nick had reached past Jess to grab the cereal and accidentally brushed her shoulder with his fingers. Instead of ignoring the insignificant gesture, or chuckling like a normal person, Nick had jerked his hand back like he'd been scalded and said, "nah, no cereal for me this morning!" before bolting to his room.

But Jess wasn't doing much better. She Skyped with Cece from her closet for 45 minutes and took the longest shower in the history of time before locking herself in her room and blaring Queen's greatest hits. Nick had told her to be ready at 7, and by the time 6:45 rolled around, he was feeling pretty jittery. Schmidt and Winston had been giving him dirty looks all afternoon and he felt uncomfortable in his suit. He rarely dressed up, but tonight, he forced himself. He didn't want this to feel like any other Saturday. He owed her something special, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted to see what would happen if he and Jess were lifted out of the vacuum of the loft, their roommates, and every other day.

He walked into the living room right on time to find Jess waiting for him, her jacket buttoned up to her throat. She was more dressed down than he was; tight jeans, tall brown boots and a plaid coat, but she still took his breath away. She whirled to greet him and he saw her face fall when she took in his fancy duds.

"Oh Nick, you're all dressed up! I didn't know exactly, I mean, I wasn't sure how, you know what? I should just change really fast. It'll just take me two minutes"

Jess started to blaze a trail back to her room when Nick reached out a hand to stop her. He snagged the crook of her elbow, just like he'd done that night after True American. The moment wasn't lost on either of them; Jess froze in her tracks and Nick felt little goose bumps erupt on his skin.

"Jess, don't change, please. You look great. I like your hair and your coat, the whole thing," Nick finished, his ears burning a little.

Jess smoothed her jacket a little self-consciously. "I thought you might be a fan of this coat, it kind of reminds me of a certain someone I live with and his not-so-diverse sense of style," she teased twirling in her plaid, flannel outerwear. "However, after seeing your ensemble tonight, I might have to amend my former statement," Jess said throatily.

Nick stood a little taller. "Well I'm glad I can keep you on your toes. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, where are the guys? I wanted to say goodbye," Jess asked with a frown.

"Winston's out and Schmidt…"

"Schmidt's here, but he won't be seeing you off!" came Schmidt's muffled yell from his room. "This is unwise Nicholas and Jessica. You must embark on your evening unendorsed!"

Nick opened his mouth to yell something back, but Jess put a hand on his chest to stop him. "I've got it," Jess whispered. "Ok Schmidt, we'll just have to soldier on without your endorsement," Jess yelled. "You're right, Nick taking me to dinner as a thank you is crazy reckless. I don't know what he's thinking! You better watch out buddy, he might buy you a beer or send you a note next. This guy is unhinged!" Jess flashed Nick a grin. "Let's go while he's quiet," she said in an undertone, tugging Nick to the door.

Once they were safely in the hall, the giddy teasing faded away and it was just the two of them. Nick gulped a quick breath, offered Jess his elbow, delighting in the way she tucked her hand inside, and steered her toward the elevator.

* * *

He'd had pretty good luck with the opentable and Zagat advice and found a very nice restaurant with room for two just five blocks away. It was an Italian chophouse and had a fireplace, so he didn't have to worry about food he didn't understand or weird strobe lights. As an added bonus it was gorgeous weather, so they could walk, which was an extra stroke of luck considering his car had been less than reliable lately.

"So where should we go?" Jess asked as they strolled outside. "Are you in the mood for something in particular?"

Nick stopped walking and gave her a funny look. "Uh yeah, I'm in the mood to eat at the restaurant where we have a reservation. Jess, did you not think I'd plan the evening? I told you I'd take care of this."

Jess looked a little abashed. "I know you did, I just didn't want to assume anything. You and I just usually grab and go and I didn't want you to think I expected some big she-bang."

"Well, quit worrying and let me take it from here, ok?" Nick said, a little needled.

"Ok, I'm sorry," Jess said softly. "I'm excited to see what's next. Charm the pants off of me Miller," she chirped.

Nick let out a little puff of laughter. "Ok, let's go. Is it cool if we walk? It's not very far and it's so nice out."

"I'd love to walk," Jess said, falling into step beside him. "It's great for people watching and it gives me an excuse to do this," she flirted, sliding her arm back through his.

Feeling bold, Nick straightened his arm and laced his fingers with hers. "How about I do you one better?" he asked, smiling.

"Hey, no complaints here."

* * *

Nick was relieved to see that the restaurant he'd picked looked as good, if not better, in person as it had online. It had a pretty patio and little garden that wound around the front. The lighting was cozy but not too dim and he was thrilled to report that the trees were strung with twinkle lights. _Winston would be psyched._ Nick could tell Jess was very taken with the whole scene and a hot rush of pride bubbled inside him at the thought. He was the one responsible for that delighted smile on her face. He made it happen.

He held the door open for her and gave the Maître D his name. They barely lingered in the entry way for two minutes before the hostess led them to what was clearly the best table in the house. Jess now looked downright bemused.

"Nick," she said as they settled in. "This is really something. This place is so cute and the table is perfect. I wasn't expecting this."

"Well, I told you I wanted to thank you formally. Miller gratitude comes with a suit and fettuccini. And champagne," he added as their waitress appeared with some bubbly.

"It just keeps getting better," Jess quipped as she raised her glass.

"Wait, don't drink yet," Nick interjected. "Let me do a little toast."

"By all means," Jess said.

"Jess, that situation in Chicago could have been a nightmare. It almost was. But thanks to you, I got through it. Thank you Jess, you always drop everything to help me, and I uh, I really appreciate that. So, drink up!" he finished, embarrassed.

"Cheers!" Jess said, clinking his glass. Her eyes were shining after his little speech, which made him feel less like an idiot about giving it. When she lowered her glass her cheeks were pink. "Man, I feel really stupid about my jeans now, I should have gone with a dress! I look all wrong," Jess chastised.

"Jess, don't be ridiculous, you look gorgeous in everything," Nick spouted, not even thinking. As soon as the compliment left his mouth, he felt exposed. He had never directly commented on her looks before, aside from a generic 'you look great' or two. Now he'd basically confessed that he thought she looked beautiful day in and day out.

Nick chanced a look at Jess' face and as he expected, she looked flabbergasted. But before he had too much time to process her countenance she blurted out, "Are we on a date?"

Nick froze for a second, all kinds of thoughts and feelings swirling around inside him, fighting for the upper hand. His heart and head were beating each other senseless, so he went with a standard deflection. "This is a thank you thing. To say thanks! I owe you, because of Chicago and Elvis and everything, to say thank you. You know because…"

"Because you owe me?" Jess quirked an eyebrow at him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth."

"Yep that's the ticket," Nick said, bobbing his head up and down like crazed puppet. At that moment Nick looked into Jess' eyes properly, and he could have sworn he saw the faintest trace of disappointment. "Well I do owe you," Nick said, lowering his voice a shade, "but I also just wanted to take you out. You're fun to hang with, and easy on the eyes," Nick teased, giving Jess an exaggerated wink.

She giggled and nudged his foot under the table. He felt a little thrill race through him and made a conscious effort to beat back the voice in his head that was laughing at his pathetic attempt to pretend tonight was no big deal.

* * *

The conversation was easy as he and Jess ate their dinner. The first bottle of champagne had long disappeared and a second had magically taken its place when they were half way through their salads. By the time their pasta arrived, Nick was feeling warm and relaxed and a tiny bit giddy. Jess was in the middle of a college date horror story and he was hanging on every word.

"It honestly started out so normal, he was nice, we grabbed coffee and he asked me out for dinner that weekend. I was thrilled because, let's face it, college guys usually don't even bother with a meal, they just try to meet up with you when you're already out at a bar."

"Unfortunately, true," Nick concurred.

"Right? So I was happy to have an evening to look forward to, something to dress up for. Anyway, dinner was fun and we took a walk afterward and we stopped near this beautiful old bridge. It was so romantic, I was all a flutter and then he turned to me and said 'I would love to see you again, but if we're going to make a go of this, I have to know right now that you're prepared to grow out your bangs.'"

Nick almost spit out his champagne. "He said _what_!?"

"I'm not even kidding," Jess said solemnly. "He told me he just really had a problem with 'forehead drapes.' His actual words."

"Oh my God, what an idiot!" Nick laughed. "Seriously Jess, you're lucky. He sounds like a freak! Thank the Lord you found that out on date number one."

"True, true," Jess laughed. "I was a little shaken after him though. I did consider growing them out for a while," she said, tapping her forehead.

"What? No! Your bangs are my favorite!" Nick said, feeling a little champagne high. He reached out and smoothed them to the side of her face, mocking up the grown out look. "No, no, no, see? That's all wrong," he finished, fluffing her bangs back across her forehead. "That's the Jess we all know and love." Nick bit back the end of his sentence with a little glimmer of panic, "What I meant was—"

"Here you are sir, madam," their waitress interrupted, plunking a beautifully detailed piece of tiramisu down between them. "Compliments of the gentleman over there."

Nick and Jess swiveled around in their chairs to follow the waitress' gesture just in time to glimpse a familiar, albeit slightly grayer figure, pick his way across the restaurant to their table for two.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks for the reviews and follows! I decided to skip the whole jaywalking and Outside Dave spoiler fodder for this story. I just think the New Girl writers will do a much better job making that funny than I would! Here's my take on the Russell interaction. Enjoy!_**

* * *

"Hey guys!" Russell said, clapping a hand on both Nick and Jess' shoulder. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Wow, Russell, it's been a long time," Jess stammered, blinking rapidly. "How are you?"

"Oh fine, fine," Russell said smiling. "Just grabbing a bite with my girlfriend Brandy," he finished, gesturing at a pretty blonde seated across the way. "But I think the more important question is how are you two doing?" Russell asked beaming at them. "You know, it's just great to see this finally happening, does my heart good. Sarah misses having you in class by the way, Jess. She still talks about you."

"That's great, so back to the 'happening' part of the sentence, what exactly are you talking about there?" Jess asked, fidgeting in her seat.

Russell rolled his eyes and turned to Nick, giving him a conspiratorial look. Nick looked back at him blankly; absolutely certain he looked like an idiot.

"Just you and Nick. Together." Russell said matter-of-factly. "I'm happy for you guys. It's been a long time coming. So when did this happen?"

Jess gaped at Nick, who finally regained the power of speech.

"Oh, uh no, we're just kind of having a thank you dinner type thing here. You know, just your run of the mill, 'I appreciate you impersonating Elvis at my father's funeral' kind of deal. Know what I mean?" Nick rambled.

Russell gave them an amused look. "Oh, ok. So it's like that? Still forming? Gotcha. Well enjoy the tiramisu. It's the perfect way to cap off a thank-you dinner," Russell smirked. "Great seeing you both, I'm going to get back to my clearly defined date."

He grinned and shook his head at the pair of them before gliding off to rejoin Brandy. Nick looked across the table at Jess who was obviously flustered. He didn't know what to say, so he made a pathetic attempt at humor.

"So, same old Russell, huh?" Nick quipped. "Ten million dollar suit, uses a hair gel that's one part seaweed extract, 10 parts liquid success," Nick joked.

Jess looked relieved and clung to his pitiful deflection with white-knuckled intensity. "I know, I think his cufflinks are made of lacquered bark from a rare, rainforest tree."

"I noticed that, Nick laughed. "Very classy."

"Yeah, I was definitely the street urchin in that relationship," Jess mused. "Weird seeing him here."

They poked at their dessert in awkward silence, both taking turns glancing at Russell's table, then glancing at each other. Nick was starting to get a crick in his neck. Once the bill was paid, it became apparent that they would have to slide by Russell and Brandy on their way out the door. It was also clear they were both more than a little apprehensive about it.

"So, should we head out? Looks like we'll get to meet Brandy en route to the exit," Jess said. "That should be fun. We'll introduce ourselves and then Russell can confuse us some more with his comments and assumptions!"

"Can't wait! Love that guy, so high-class and polished, so completely unnerving!" Nick said. "This will be a treat, let's make it happen!"

* * *

Nick and Jess shuffled toward the exit and paused at Russell and Brandy's table. "Hey again," Nick said awkwardly. "I missed you man, it's been too long."

Russell laughed politely. "Brandy this is Nick and Jess, Nick, Jess, my beautiful girlfriend Brandy."

Brandy gave them a bright smile and held up a perfectly manicured finger. "One sec, I'm just wrapping up this Instagram post," she said, dipping her head back down to her phone.

"Oh cool, what did you take a picture of?" Jess asked.

"Me. Getting ready for dinner. It helps to get feedback on accessories for next time, you know?" Brandy asked sincerely.

"Mmm, I do," Jess said soberly. "That's a good idea."

"So how do you guys know Russell again?" Brandy asked.

"Jess and I dated last year and Nick is one of her roommates," Russell supplied.

"Oh and now you two are dating?" Brandy asked gesturing from Nick to Jess. "I love that, so cute!"

"Oh, well, we're not really on a date, we're just having dinner together," Nick assured her. "It's a long story."

"It doesn't sound like a long story," Brandy shrugged. "It sounds like a date."

"They seem pretty sure that it isn't," Russell piped up. "But that makes sense, with these two. I'll explain later."

"Or, maybe you could explain now!" Jess burst out. The tables around them were starting to stare as their little drama continued to unfold and Nick felt a blush creep up his neck and color his cheeks. Jess lowered her voice, giving Nick an apologetic look. "I mean, you seem full of a lot of theories and opinions tonight, Russell, so Nick and I wouldn't mind looking over your research on the topic, if you'd care to share."

Just then, a waiter stumbled by and had to pirouette around them to stop from dropping his tray. With all the finesse of a figure skater, the Maître D suddenly appeared on the other side of a the partition.

"Mr. Miller? Standing in the serving aisles is a bit of a fire hazard, would you mind moving to the entryway? Or I can draw up two chairs so you and your date can join this party?"

"No!" Nick and Jess chorused. "That's ok, we'll head up front, sorry" Nick apologized.

"So I guess we'll see you around," Russell offered up as they walked away.

"You can bet on it," Jess said in an undertone.

Nick quirked an eyebrow at her and she threw up her hands. "What, you don't want to know what he meant? The whole 'glad it is happening' and 'I'll explain later' song and dance, what was that about?"

Nick shrugged and tried to act like it was no big deal to him. In reality, he was probably more agitated than she was.

"C'mon Nick, we'll smoke 'em out," Jess said grabbing his hand and leading him outside. She dragged him across the street to a bench facing the restaurant and plunked down, tugging him with her. "Perfect, they won't be able to leave without us knowing."

"Jess, you're insane, they were still eating their salads" Nick groaned. "We're going to be here forever, but ok, yeah, I'm in."

* * *

Even though they were unabashedly stalking Jess' ex, Nick was having a pretty great time. Jess was so full of life, and without all the noise of Schmidt and Winston, jobs and loft dynamics, it was a pretty amazing thing to behold.

"So whatever happened with you and Russell anyway?" Nick asked, frowning. "I feel like we never really talked about that."

"No, we didn't," Jess said quietly. "You were grappling with your own allotment of blonde drama at that particular moment in time."

"Sheesh, yeah that's right," Nick said, covering his face for a second. "But I'm definitely Caroline free now, lay it on me. What happened?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jess started uncomfortably.

"Come on Jess, it was your idea to camp out. Spill!"

"Well, it might sound stupid to you," Jess started. "Russell was actually great. Nice, smart, considerate, funny. He didn't do anything wrong, and we got along really well. There just wasn't any tension."

Nick nodded uncertainly, urging her on.

"Put it this way, you know when you buy a brand new bottle of ginger ale or club soda and it's just loaded with carbonation? And then you unscrew the cap and you're rewarded with this awesome, fizzy pop? Sometimes you get sprayed a little, sometimes it spills, but it's totally satisfying. You know that soda is fresh and crisp; its science."

"I'm with you so far…" Nick drawled.

"Well with Russell, it was like unscrewing the cap and discovering it was a bottle of water, or juice. Perfectly fine, but no carbonation, no hiss. It was just flat. I wanted something a little more fiery, so that was it."

Nick looked at her then, thinking hard about the weekend she broke up with Russell. It was the same time Caroline reappeared on the scene, which meant she'd left Russell and come home to a blazing fight with her roommate. Something twanged inside him as he thought back on that moment. The yelling, the posturing, the ridiculous insults. He remembered how she looked that night; angry and impassioned. But there had been something else there too, something deep and profound that he'd fought so hard to ignore. The very same thing that he'd buried inside himself and refused to examine for more than a year.

"Jess," he drawled, tracing a little pattern on her jeans clad kneecap and smiling at the sharp little intake of breath he heard her sneak, "you definitely deserve some fizz. I think you made the right call on that one." Nick smiled at her in earnest and she grinned back and the moment would have hummed with happiness if Russell and Brandy hadn't picked that moment to clatter down the front steps toward the valet stand.

"Hey!" Jess yelled, jumping to her feet. "You two, halt!"

She dodged and weaved her way across the street and Nick had no choice but to follow. Brandy looked confused and Russell looked a little put out to see them for a third time in less than an hour.

"Jess, stop with all this, what's the big deal? I saw you two out, I know you care about each other, I made an assumption. End of story," Russell said.

"But what did you mean when you said 'finally happening?'" Jess asked desperately. "That sounds like something you'd thought about before."

"Look," Russell said firmly, as the valet pulled his car around. "The reason this is bugging you is because you already know what I mean. Even when you and I were dating, you both would have dropped anything you had going on the help the other. Nick was always talking you up and you were always smoothing out life's wrinkles to make things better for him. And it wasn't like that with your other roommates. There was just always a little something bubbling below the surface with you two. So why don't you stop harassing us, and have an honest discussion with each other?" Russell finished.

Nick and Jess looked down at their toes, sufficiently humbled.

"Take care you two," Russell said. "Quit thinking so much."

They stood next to each other in silence for a minute as he drove off. It stayed quiet until the chirping of Jess' phone broke the moment.

"Oh my God," she giggled. "Brandy found me on Instagram. She just tagged me in this photo of herself at the valet stand."

Nick couldn't help it, even though they'd just been lectured publicly by a man Nick had spent months trying to impress, even though he'd just blown a week's salary on a "thank you" dinner, even though his heart ached in his chest, he just had to laugh. As Jess held up the phone photo of Brandy staring into the camera, tagged with Jess' handle and captioned 'Big Night Out' #soapopera, Nick laughed until he almost cried. Jess too. They laughed until they were doubled over, until their throats were raw, until they were spent.

"Ok," Nick said as they wiped tears from their eyes and heaved a few deep breaths. "Maybe this is a date."


	4. Chapter 4

_**So I had a change of heart and decided to riff on the jaywalking spoiler after all. Poor Nick! Thanks for the continued support and reviews. Just a reminder, I don't own New Girl.**_

* * *

As Nick and Jess' laughter faded away, the air between them changed a little. They'd fessed up to the fact that they may, in fact, be out on a date together. And even though Jess was dressed like a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, even though they'd run into Russell and his Instagram obsessed girlfriend, the night still meant something to both of them.

"So, do you want to walk around a little bit, or go grab a drink somewhere else? I think the Russell interaction pretty much killed my buzz," Nick said.

"Yeah sure, let's walk," Jess said, bravely holding out her hand. Nick seized it without a moment's hesitation and felt his throat tighten. _Why do these tiny moments slay me? _Nick couldn't figure out what exactly it was about Jess' slim fingers threaded through his that made him want to die of happiness, but he wasn't going to waste a lot of time trying to figure it out.

Even though it was a tiny bit chilly, there was no wind, so it was a perfect night to be out. Nick and Jess ambled along, winding through small parks, stopping in front of bars with live music; straining to hear a few bars of a familiar song as the notes floated outside. There were a lot of pubs and restaurants that would have been a perfect stop-over for a drink or two, but they just kept walking. Nick didn't want to let go of her; he was afraid that if they stopped moving, the whole night might evaporate. He didn't want to go back to their same old song and dance.

"You know Nick," Jess said stopping for a minute on the sidewalk, "dinner really was great, before Russell came over and busted it all up with his commentary," she laughed. "Honestly though, the food was delicious, I loved the restaurant, and I was having fun with you," she finished, smiling up at him. "Too bad we couldn't enjoy the tiramisu, on account of the awkwardness."

"Yeah," Nick said, playing with a little silver ring Jess had on her right hand, "it's tough to really get into food sent over by your ex on an evening that may or may not be a first date."

Jess laughed, "my thoughts exactly."

Nick looked over Jess' shoulder at the bright pink food truck parked on the other side of the intersection. _Aha! Here's my moment! _"Hey Jess, dessert problem solved!" Nick exclaimed. "Check it out!" he said, pointing behind her. Jess turned around and spied the cupcake truck. Her eyes lit up.

"Oh man, that is like _the_ cupcake truck, in all of L.A.! I actually read an article about this company. They have awesome flavors like pink lemonade and chocolate malt and butter pecan and it's a family owned business so they make everything from scratch on a really small scale. And they only make tiny, two bite cupcakes because they want people to be able to try a bunch of different stuff!"

"Stay put, I'll be right back," Nick said. "Any requests? Or just a sampler?"

"I trust you," Jess said grinning.

"Cool," Nick said as bolted across the street. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let Russell ruin dessert," he said in an undertone.

* * *

He was about six steps into the intersection when he heard an ear splitting whistle. "Sir!" barked a cop who had materialized out of nowhere. "I'm going to have to ask you to respect pedestrian laws and stick to the sidewalk if you can't be bothered to use a crosswalk."

Nick stopped in his tracks. "Oh God, I didn't even notice. I was just trying to get to the cupcake truck, honest mistake." Nick raised his hands in deference. "I'll go back and use the crosswalk."

"I appreciate that sir, but what's done is done," the police officer said shrugging. "Now if you'll kindly step back to the curb, I'll handle your citation."

Nick's shoulders slumped and he felt a muscle in his jaw start to twitch as he stomped back to the curb. Not only had he flushed the cupcake moment down the drain, he'd created new chaos. On top of that, he could practically hear the dollars flying out of his wallet.

"Nick?" Jess walked over looking worried. "What happened?"

"Didn't use the crosswalk, so…" Nick said quietly. "Officer Reasonable over there is writing me a jaywalking ticket. Good stuff!"

"Jaywalking?!" Jess yelled, flabbergasted. "I've never heard of anyone actually getting a ticket for jaywalking, that's ridiculous!" Jess marched over to the cop with fire in her eyes. "Hey, officer? That's my friend over there, and he didn't mean to jaywalk. He didn't know where the crosswalk was, we've never been over in this neighborhood before. He was just trying to get me some mini-cupcakes!" Jess finished, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Ma'am, this is no concern of yours, back off," snarled the cop.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," Nick growled, seeing red. Jess gave him a puzzled but very gratified look at his words and put a hand out to touch his arm. "Hey, who cares about this? I don't want it to ruin our night," she said quietly, so just Nick could hear. "I'm having too great a time."

"Too great a time? How is that possible!?" Nick burst out. "Your ex-boyfriend heckled us, we staked him out on a park bench for an hour, and now you're hanging around on an empty sidewalk with your roommate, who is waiting on a jaywalking ticket. How could you possibly be having fun?"

Jess gave him a peculiar look, as if the same thought was just now occurring to her. She gazed at him steadily, took a step toward him and half whispered, "I don't know, I just am," she put a tentative hand out and touched his left lapel lightly, resting her palm on his chest. "I guess the heart wants what it wants," she said with a sexy little smile.

Nick felt a flutter of emotion and desire swoop through him and everything started to look hazy. He inched a little closer to Jess, covering her hand with his own. It was warm and friendly under his palm, but he felt a little tremble there too.

"Jess, I-

"-Here you go sir," interjected the magic cop, who once again seemed to have appeared out of nothingness to literally insert himself between Nick and Jess. "The citation fee is $280, but you can contest it in court if you want. The date is on the ticket, but I'll tell you right now, I'm never a no-show, so you might not want to waste your time. Enjoy your evening," he said tipping his hat.

Nick closed his eyes and counted to ten. The $280 ticket was a gut punch, but it was nothing compared to the moment that cop had thieved from him. Instead of Jess' tiny hand, he now clutched a cold, paper citation. There really was no comparison.

"Ok, so Dr. Sam, Schmidt's aquarium, Russell and the LAPD," Nick rattled off.

"What?" Jess frowned.

"Just listing some of my favorite things," Nick said ruefully.

Jess laughed, getting it. "Ok Nick, I'm not sure it's safe for us to be out in public any longer. Let's hit the liquor store, grab a nightcap and head home. You can drink some of the pain away," she said pointing at the ticket. "And we can toast to this crazy evening. Sound good?"

"It sounds right," Nick said, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."

* * *

They'd decided to really do this thing right, so Jess chose a bottle of pink champagne for herself and Nick picked out some craft beer he never treated himself to. They laughed and talked, clutching their brown paper bags and sticking strictly to the sidewalk the whole way back to the loft. The unfortunate events that had dogged their evening seemed to have taken some of the pressure out of it. Nick felt light and happy; thrilled that Jess had suggested prolonging their evening. As they rounded the block that would take them home, Jess stopped in her tracks.

"Oh wow, listen," she said, putting a hand out to stop Nick's progress as well. "They're so good!"

It was trio of street musicians, all playing stringed instruments. Nick assumed it was a cello and two violins, but one could have been a viola, he could never keep those two straight. Jess was right, they were incredibly talented. A small crowd of people had gathered to listen, which was unusual for L.A. where sidewalk performers were a dime a dozen. But Nick understood the pull to this particular act. The music was mellow and sweet and they played with such skill, such honest sincerity, it was hard to pull away.

"They're fantastic," Nick agreed. "Do you know what they're playing?"

Jess nodded. "I have old people taste in music, so yeah. It's a Gershwin song from the 1930s called 'You Can't Take That Away From Me,' it's one of my favorites."

Suddenly, Nick just couldn't stand it. She looked so pretty swaying to the music and the night had been such a disaster that he had to do something. Feeling like he was having an out of body experience, he grabbed the champagne and beer, stowed it safely behind a shrub and pulled Jess to him in one fluid movement. "Then you should get to enjoy it," he said. "How about a dance?"

Jess gaped at him and flushed. "Seriously? Here?

"Sure," Nick shrugged. "What do you say?"

Jess smiled self-consciously. "Yeah, ok, why not?"

Nick grinned at her and snaked his right arm around her tiny waist. Her took hand in his and started to move. Nick was definitely not a dancer, but he could keep time ok, so they just rotated in a little circle to the strains of one of Jess' favorite songs. Nick pulled her in a little tighter, smiling when she willingly rested her chin on his shoulder. Feeling half drunk on the intensity of the moment, he turned his head just a shade. "So," he murmured in her ear, feeling her shudder, "how does the song go?"

Jess pulled back to look at him skeptically. "You want me to sing it? You hate my spontaneous singing."

He pulled her back in and said softly, "No I don't, that's all for show. Plus, this was a request. C'mon, just let me hear a little bit."

They had danced their way to a pretty secluded spot on the sidewalk and Jess' face was positively flaming now. She pushed her chin all the way over his shoulder so she wouldn't have to look at him and drew in a shaky breath.

_The way you wear your hat  
The way you sip your tea  
The memory of all that  
No, no they can't take that away from me._

_The way your smile just beams_  
_The way you sing off key_  
_The way you haunt my dreams_  
_No, no they can't take that away from me…_

Nick grinned as she sang so softly he could barely hear her. As they continued to sway in a lazy circle Nick felt like finally, something might have gone his way tonight.

_We may never, never meet again  
On the bumpy road to love  
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of  
The way you hold your knife  
The way we danced till three  
The way you changed my life  
No, no they can't take that away from me…._

Jess trailed off and pulled back from Nick a little. "So that's pretty much it," she said nervously. "Just your typical 1930s song made popular by the likes of Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald," Jess rambled.

"Beautiful," Nick said in a low tone.

"The song?" Jess clarified.

"That too," Nick said with a flirty confidence he'd never felt before. The music had stopped and the evening was suddenly quiet. But before Nick could get another ticket, before a squirrel could fall on them from a nearby tree, before a hailstorm could crop up, Nick decided to take another chance.

They were still holding each other loosely from the dance, so it was easy to slide his hands to her face and kiss her softly, slowly. This one was different from everything else they'd shared. He didn't surprise her, they weren't yelling at each other. The passion was there, but Nick kept it in check and poured everything he was feeling into the kiss. Stroking his thumbs along her jawline and reveling in the little sounds of approval she made at his touch, the kiss went on and on. Nick moved one arm to her waist and drew her too him, jolting at the feel of both her hands on his jacket, then sliding up to twine around his neck. The kiss shifted into a higher gear, and Nick could feel some of their shared desperation leak in as the moment deepened. A little moan escaped her and at the same time, Nick and Jess came to the dim realization that they were, in fact, standing on a public sidewalk.

They pulled apart, a little sheepishly, and retrieved their bags from the bushes. Jess spoke first, clearing her throat. "So, how about that drink?"

"I'm right there with you," Nick said laughing. "Let's go home, I really can't afford a disturbing the peace ticket too."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thanks for the feedback and the follows! They mean the world to me! Just a reminder, no copyright infringement intended._**

* * *

As Nick and Jess picked their way back to the loft, past the crowd gathered around the musicians, Nick started to feel a little nervous. The breathless moment they just shared was hanging over them in a way he hadn't experienced before. When he'd kissed her after True American, it had been passionate and exciting but ended with a door slam. Their crazy make-out that night after the bar was punctuated with yelling and capped off with a broken fish tank and a frantic bolt into their respective rooms. But the sweetness and electricity of what had just transpired had nowhere to go. Their sidewalk dance and its grand finale would be following them back to the loft for a nightcap.

As they moved to open the door to their building, Outside Dave appeared out of nowhere. He looked more confused than he usually did, if that was possible, and was clutching a white plastic recorder. "Wait!" he yelled at them. "I was supposed to find you. I've got a little something special to play for you."

Jess looked at Nick baffled, and Nick shrugged to let her know he was as much in the dark as she was. Outside Dave began a tuneless series of bleats on the recorder, wiggling his eyebrows at them suggestively as he stomped around, trying to keep some kind of rhythm. It was impossible to make out what he was trying to play, it sounded like some off-key train whistles harmonized on top of an overactive tea kettle. Dave kept up his performance for about two and a half minutes while Nick and Jess stood like statues, half horrified, half paralyzed with hilarity. Dave started to wear down about three minutes in and pulled the recorder from his mouth, panting. He spit on the sidewalk and then for some reason, shot _them_ a disgusted look.

"I don't care what the shiny man and the little guy said," he said, throwing the recorder unceremoniously into a thatch of nearby bushes. "It's not worth it." With that, he stumbled over to Jess' car and flopped forward on the hood.

"Well," Nick said shoving his hands in his pockets. "That was nearly disturbing enough to cancel out the romantic moment I thought I had just pulled off. But hey, leave it to the fates to intervene. A jaywalking ticket wasn't enough. An aggressive homeless person had to shred our eardrums with spastic recorder playing."

Jess' eyes were shining with tears of laughter. "I mean, that was pretty awful. I think that performance has put me off the recorder for good. But I don't know Nick," she said, a little quieter. "Erasing that dance is going to take more than Outside Dave has in his arsenal."

Nick swallowed a little lump in his throat and smiled at Jess as they boarded the elevator. "Remind me to tell the shiny man and the little guy tomorrow that they'll need to try harder to derail us the next time."

* * *

The loft was quiet when they walked inside. Nick knew Winston was filling in for another DJ this weekend, so he was back at the radio station, logging an extra overnight shift. Schmidt's bedroom was empty, but Nick wasn't sure where he was. _Schmidt buddy, I don't care if you left in protest, or actually had plans tonight. I'm just glad you're gone. _

Jess unzipped her boots and tossed them inside her room and Nick ditched his dress shoes and suit coat in his own. He snagged a champagne flute for Jess and a beer stein for himself and rejoined her in the living room. Filling both glasses up to the brim, Nick raised his in an exaggerated toast. "Well Jess, that was certainly a memorable evening. I'm sorry for the crazy antics, but uh, thanks for staying along for the ride," he finished clearing his throat and raising his mug to take a drink.

"No wait," Jess said, stopping him. "I didn't get to add my two cents."

"Sorry," Nick said, lowering his glass. "Go on."

Jess looked a little flustered, but maddeningly cute as she fiddled with her champagne. "So, I wasn't sure what tonight was all about. Obviously," she said, gesturing to her casual wear. "And I know we said it was a thank you dinner at first and then admitted it was _ma_y_be_ a date a little later. But honestly? I don't care what it was. I just know that tonight, I laughed more than I've laughed in the last month, and I blushed more than I did in all of sixth grade and when you asked me to dance on the sidewalk with a string trio playing in the background, I could have fainted. So, Salute!"

To avoid Nick's gaze after her little speech, she downed the whole of her champagne in one gulp. Nick sipped his beer steadily, but didn't lift his eyes from her face as she refilled her own glass and took a few steadying gulps of air. A warm knot of something he'd never felt before had pulled snug in his chest and every smile from Jess, every little flutter of insecurity she owned up to tugged it a little tighter.

"So, do you want to watch a movie?" Nick asked.

"Sure," Jess shrugged. "As long as it's something we can talk over. More background noise, less plot investment."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Nick said as he rifled through their collection. "Hmmm. _Wedding Crashers_? _Old School_? Or should we go weirder, like _Willow_?"

"That's the one," Jess said giggling. "It's bizarre enough to comment on, but so bizarre you don't really want to watch it word for word."

* * *

As it turned out, _Willow_ was more a hum in the background than anything else. Nick and Jess were methodically working their way through their beverages and with each passing sip, their smiles were getting goofier, their posture more relaxed. They were facing each other on the sofa. Jess was cross legged and Nick was resting his elbow on the back of the couch and propping his head up with his hand. He was thrilled that each time Jess made a point; she'd put her hand on his shoulder for emphasis and hover there for a moment. And he couldn't resist nudging her knee with his own as he teased her.

He spied a spare pair of her glasses on the coffee table and picked them up, peering through the lenses.

"Wow, so these are pretty strong," Nick said. "How old were you when you got 'em?" His Chicago inflections were coming out more and more as his buzz ramped up.

Jess pulled them out of his grasp and turned them over in her hands. "Geez, like second grade I think? I was young, one of the first kids I knew to get them. It was such a relief when I did though. I could not see the blackboard, like at all, and I remember the first time I was able to copy the spelling list without getting chalk dust on my nose was really a thing of beauty."

"But you don't always wear them now, so obviously you have contacts," Nick surmised.

"Well yeah. Most teenage girls get contacts to avoid the inevitable teasing, but I was a little behind the times. I rocked these straight through to college. But then I wised up," Jess slid her glasses on with a little flourish, turning to face Nick head on. Even behind the lenses, her eyes were startlingly clear. And through the haze of after dinner drinks, her outline seemed to shimmer a little.

Nick, feeling giddy and reckless, grabbed Jess' knees and scooted her, still sitting Indian-style, so her knees were touching his. She'd had quite a few glasses of champagne at this point, so she didn't even flinch at the contact. She just smiled, daring him to back away. "Your glasses are great Jess. You didn't need to get contacts."

"Yes I did," she said, adopting a mock serious tone, "boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses," she chanted.

It was a funny, old-fashioned expression, but something in her eyes when she said it flipped a little switch inside him. His voice dropped two octaves and his eyes flashed with something primal.

"The hell they don't," he growled, seizing her for their second kiss of the night. If the one on the sidewalk after their dance had been a prelude, this was most certainly the main event. Nick couldn't get enough of her and Jess obviously felt the same, because before he even had time to think, she'd ripped the glasses off her face, thrown her arms around his neck, and practically leapt into his lap. This kiss was hot and urgent and his hands were everywhere, in her hair, on her back, at her waist. She was pressing herself as close to him as the laws of physics would allow and each groan of approval she uttered, each little huff of frustration that escaped her as she tried to touch more of him fueled his desire tenfold. He pressed her down into the couch, putting an elbow on one side of her head and a hand on the other as he captured her lips again and kissed her with all he had.

As he felt her press into him from toe to hip, something woke them both up. The champagne and the beer, the months of pent up tension, the unbelievable sweetness of their dance earlier that night were almost enough to tip their relationship over the edge. And even though Nick wanted her desperately, he wasn't willing to act first and think later on this one. Not with her.

Not wanting to totally give the moment up just yet, Nick gentled the pace of their frenzied embrace and opened his eyes to look at her. She still had her eyes closed and her smoky lashes fanned out across her flushed cheeks. The sight of her pulled the knot in his chest so tight it was almost painful. This was so much more than tonight. That was obvious. The though thrilled him and terrified him at the same time with knife-sharp intensity. Jess' eyes fluttered open and she fixed him with the same dreamy smile he knew he was beaming right back at her.

"Oh boy," Jess breathed as Nick twirled a finger around a loose curl. "We're in trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Thanks to everyone who reviewed or followed (and I hope more will continue to do so!) I'm a little sad to finish this one because it was so much fun to write. I'll dive into a new story sometime soon. If anyone has an idea or request, feel free to message me! I hope you enjoy the final chapter!_**

* * *

Nick had to put some physical space between himself and Jess. As he pushed off the couch and backed up a few solid paces, he shook his head experimentally, willing the blinding buzz of excitement to fade so he could sift through his thoughts and words like a rational human being. It had been a dizzying embrace, and for the first time in their short romantic history, he didn't think they'd be able to side-step it.

"Ok, ok, I'm going to hang over here for a second," Nick said, smiling ruefully at Jess who was still half reclined on the couch and adorably rumpled. She blinked at him a few times, looking happily distracted. She touched the corner of her mouth dazedly and put her other hand over her heart. Nick's throat tightened at the small gesture; she was right there with him.

"Yeah, ok, I'll stay here then," Jess said, coming back to herself. "But I think we might want to chat about this whirlwind that keeps, uh, carrying us both off."

Nick chuckled, grateful that she wasn't close enough to hear his breath hitch at her words. "I agree."

"I think there might be something here," Jess ventured bravely looking at her lap, her voice tiny and unsure.

"I know there is," Nick replied, sounding more confident than the hammering of his heart betrayed.

Jess lifted her eyes to him, surprised by his response. He saw a fever bright glimmer of hope in her steady gaze. But he knew she was scared too.

"But, how do we do this?" Jess asked, distraught. "For almost two years now, you've been so central to my life, you know? We sit around and talk about Schmidt's special brand of crazy; we go to the store together. You fix stuff for me, I give you advice. I know what cereal you eat on what day and I'm in on all of your weirdo quirks, good and bad. How do we just erase all that and start something? Aren't you terrified we'll screw it all up?"

"Of course I am!" Nick shouted. "I'm panicking a little bit. You've said it me before, I'm a ruiner! I dropped out of law school; I got drunk before my Dad's funeral. My credit score is so bad that I don't think I can ever have a utility bill in my own name. You've seen how bad I am at relationships; I suck on an epic scale. And I don't even know why, or how to get better. If you and I started something and I tanked it, I would never forgive myself." Nick rubbed his eyes then jammed his hands in his pockets.

"So what do we do?" Jess said her voice shaky and very small. She was sitting on the couch, fidgeting with those damn throw pillows again. The same pillows she'd been worrying while she read, moments before he asked her out on what was so obviously a first date. "Do you just want to forget it? We can go back to how it was last year. I'll help you buy cell phones and give you pep talks. You can help me stand up to bullies and intervene when I'm doing something stupid."

Nick smiled for a second, remembering the horror on Jess' face when he'd caught her outside Schmidt's door on Valentine's Day last year. At the time, he'd interfered to save Jess from her own next-day regret. But if he'd caught her propositioning some douchebag today, his choice to intervene would have been purely selfish.

"I hear you, and there's a part of me that does want to run away from this," Nick admitted. "It would be easy to pretend that it was all fine and normal. The Nick and Jess dynamic of 2011," he joked. Jess smiled and looked up, relaxing a bit. "But I don't know Jess, would it work?"

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"Well, just say I meet someone in a couple months. And she's a nice person who treats me well and doesn't try to change me. And she likes all of you and she and I are both in our 30s, so things get serious and life moves forward. Are you going to be ok with that?" Nick asked, his tone just tinged with pleading.

Jess frowned as she rolled the scenario over in her mind. He saw her brain working through it and saw her body tense as she imagined how it might play out. A cloud passed over her face and her brow furrowed, so he didn't press her. Instead, he walked over to the couch, and perched on the far cushion, still leaving a few feet of space between them.

"Or say we're both single for a while. And we are just going through the motions of our normal loft life. And one night just the two of us are home and it happens to be a rainy Friday and we decide to rent a movie and have a few drinks. Are we going to sit just like this, two cushions apart, and make few awkward jokes and clamp a lid on everything that's ever happened between us?"

Jess opened her mouth to speak, but Nick was on a roll and soldiered on.

"And what about me? If you meet some guy, and I have to watch you dress up for him and laugh with him and am forced to watch the two of you sail off toward love and marriage and whatever the hell else comes along with it. Am I supposed to just sit here and act like my heart hasn't been ripped out of my chest?" Nick's voice was loud now and he was standing again. "Because I don't know Jess, I don't see that happening. I can't work at the bar and eat ice cream with you on the couch while you plan a life with someone else. Not when we never even had a chance."

Jess' eyes were wide and Nick suddenly felt like he'd gone way too far. A whine of panic sounded in his head as he took in her shocked face, her frozen posture on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, I sound crazy," Nick said, scrabbling for his keys. "We were having fun and I made it weird, just disregard, ok? So, I'm going to take a walk or something, fresh air is supposed to be good for lunatics!" He was babbling now, but he didn't know how to stop.

"Nick, wait—"

"It's ok, I'll see you in a little bit, sorry for being a nut-job!" With that Nick bolted for the door, wrenched it open and threw himself into the hallway.

* * *

Nick wandered the neighborhood for about 45 minutes until his hot embarrassment started to fade. He had surprised himself with his veiled declaration; he hadn't meant to go there. But even though he was horrified that he'd over-shared his way right out of a shot with Jess, he was the tiniest bit proud that he hadn't taken the easy way out. He'd been honest and he'd meant every word he said. Now he just had to deal with the repercussions.

When he opened the door to the loft, he expected to find the common space cold and empty. Instead Jess was waiting for him, very pointedly, clad in blue pajamas decorated with little pink anchors. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand and had a very determined look on her face.

"So, leaving before people can answer your questions is hella rude," she quipped.

Nick hung his head, "I know, I'm sorry Jess."

She waved his apology off, annoyed. "Shut up, I don't care." She handed him the folded piece of paper. "I decided to write my answers down, so I wouldn't forget them. I had no idea when you'd drag yourself back here, so…"

Nick was puzzled, but he opened the paper and started to read.

_#1) If you met someone else a few months from now, I'd be hurt. If she was kind and honest and appreciated you and liked all of us, I'd try to be happy for you, but I'd really be crushed. If I had to watch it get serious, I'd be gutted._

_#2) I don't think I'll be able to go back to platonic movies and drinks on a Friday. It would be too hard to ignore the butterflies and damn near impossible to resist pressing against you if the film got a little scary. I think our days of space on the sofa might be over._

_#3) You are the only person I want to dress up for. I'll start tomorrow. And imagining a life with someone else? That doesn't make much sense. My life today is full and exciting because of you. And when I picture my life tomorrow, you're standing right in the middle of it._

Nick looked up from the paper, a lump the size of an asteroid in his throat. His heart swelled in his chest as he folded Jess' note and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

"Jess—"

She shook her head, pressing a hand over his heart, smoothing the note in his pocket. "I think we need to be brave Nick," she said, her voice quiet, but steady.

Nick nodded, gulping back something he'd never felt before. This time, he stood still and let Jess lean in. Her kiss was soul-stirring and sweet and he never wanted it to end. He slid his fingers into her hair marveling at its silky softness. _This isn't real_, _there's just no way_ he thought, smiling into the kiss.

When Jess pulled back, she dipped her head shyly. "So, you liked the note?"

"Yeah," Nick laughed. "It's safe to say that."

"So, we're gonna go for it? Figure it out a little at a time?" Jess half whispered, looking down.

"Yes," Nick said firmly, tipping her face up so he could look at her. "I know I'm a mess and I know I don't have a great track record, but I can promise you this Jess; I'll give this all I got."

The corners of Jess' mouth twitched and her eyes shone. "That makes two of us."

They had meandered over to the kitchen and Nick poured himself a glass of water, hoping that would shake some of the nerves out of him. Jess hopped up on the counter while he drank and gave him a funny look.

"What Jess?" Nick asked. "You've got a very specific face right now."

"What kind of face?"

"It's your 'I really want to ask you a question, but I'm not sure I should' face."

Jess blushed and laughed a little. "God, you know me too well. Ok fine. I was just wondering when this, uh, turned into more than a roommate thing for you," she finished quietly.

Nick could have acted uncomfortable and deflected, but he decided to man up. "You know, I don't think there was a single moment or anything. It was always just kind of hanging around the periphery. Like, I kind of hated Paul, for no reason. The guy is sweet as pie, but he just bugged me from day one. And I remember feeling really helpless when you got laid off, even though I didn't even give Winston's prolonged unemployed last year a second thought. And then, well, nevermind," Nick wavered, scratching the back of his neck.

"What? No, c'mon, please tell me. What?" Jess begged, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"It's just, you know how we always go to the grocery store together?"

Jess nodded.

"Well, before you moved in, I made this big speech to Coach and Schmidt about how I hated shopping for food with other people. I would always go off about how it slowed you down and how I hated activities that were just chores dressed up as fun. I refused to do it; I was kind of obnoxious about it actually. And then you came along, and I don't know when it happened, but I just started really looking forward to our grocery runs. I loved that it took forever and we got to talk in the car and fight over communal food. I don't know, that kind of snuck up on me one day recently and it got me thinking. That's all."

Nick's face was scalding hot, but when he saw Jess, beaming at him from the kitchen counter, it made his discomfort worth it.

"Wow, that was a good answer," she breathed. They locked eyes again and Nick couldn't help but wonder if _this_ is how every moment they shared would end up now. The thought thrilled him.

"It's getting pretty late," Jess said. "Walk me to my door?"

Nick grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they shuffled, as slowly as possible, to Jess' room. When they got there, Nick turned to face her and dipped his head to press a kiss to her cheek, right near her jawline. She shuddered and threaded her arms around his neck to pull him into a hug.

"Goodnight Jess," Nick said.

Now it was Jess' turn to look nervous about confessing something. "So, yeah, do you just want to stay? I mean, for talking and cuddling purposes only, of course," she rambled.

That little knot in Nick's chest pulled so tight he thought he'd burst.

"Um, yeah Jess, that sounds great," Nick smiled. "Thanks for asking."


End file.
